When to add insurance a newly purchased used car?

I'm purchasing a used truck from a relative of mine for pretty cheap and I'll have to drive the vehicle back down, about 130 miles, to my city by myself. My question is do I have to purchase insurance for the truck before I go up there? Or do I have a grace period where I can drive the truck (say 5 days) without insurance and then once I have the title and other paperwork in my name, go and get insurance? I'm in the state of California, if that helps.

Public Comments

1. you can get the insurance as soon as you take possesion of the car. It only tkes a phone call.
2. You MUST have insurance before you drive. There is no grace period. You do not need the title to get insurance, just the vehicle's vin number and current mileage.
3. call your insurance company and give them info on the vehicle and state you are buying it. otherwise you are driving a vehicle without insurance and you will be held for all laws broken. insurance must be there prior to driving a car.
4. Call your insurance agent before you pickup the vehicle, they can usually insure the vehicle over the phone. If you drive without insurance and have an accident your screwed. So get the insurance first and protect yourself and the car.
5. If you already have insurance on a car you have the grace period of getting it home and calling your insurance company. If you do not have insurance at all you need to get insurance and registration before you can drive it at all. From Cal - Just Fixed, Insured, and Reg my truck before driving it - I asked at the DMV
6. There is no grace period. You need insurance in place before you drive. Get the year make model, and VIN to your insurance agent before you pick it up and he will get your insurance card to you. Carry the signed title with you also to prove you have just purchased the car in case you are stopped for any reason.
7. If you do not currently own and insure a car you will need to register and insure it before you drive it. There is no grace period. If your relative's policy will cover you (some companies will, some won't), you can ask them to wait to cancel their policy until you have driven it home and taken care of that. If you currently own and insure a car, or this car is replacing one you still have insured, many insurance companies give you thirty days to add/change the insurance. You would have to call your agent and ask what they will do.
8. If you already own a car that is insured, you have 30 days to let your agent know about your new car and you are covered. When they process the transaction, they will backdate it to when you bought the car. If you don't have a car now, you need to purchase insurance before you drive it.
9. Well if I was buying it I wouldn't worry about getting insurance en till I get home, but if you get stopped depending on how nice the police officer is they should not care if you have proof that you just bought that truck. hope that helps
10. I dunno with other insurance company, but ours allows 30 on the day of the purchase for our insured to inform us for a switch in vehicle. During those 30 days, the car with broadest coverage will cover your new car. And informing the insurance includes setting up a claim.
11. Immediately upon purchase, or the next business day.....that's when you add insurance onto the car. In CA, the majority of insurance companies are opened 24 hours, 7 days weekly.